Nikon Speedlight SB800 - battery life?

Question

Hey guys.

I'm looking at buying the above flash, I want to know what its battery life is like? I've heard mixed reports about it so was looking for some first hand experience!

Thanks

Mark

Answer 1

It eats batteries, but then any flash of that caliber will. Its kind of like having a V-8 engine. Yeah you can do this and that and baby the gas pedal, but its still a V-8.

One thing you can do is get yourself a good set of rechargeables. I use the eneloops on my flashes, and I also like the silver Energizer NiMH rechargables. I have had bad luck with the Duracell rechargeables.

The Energizers (and most rechargeables) wont hold a charge on the shelf for long. The Eneloops claim to faim is shelf life (just sitting there and keep their charge). They will retain over 90% charge after a month. Most other batteries will be dead just from sitting.

HTH